Lower Decks

The second episode of FlashForward picks up where the last one left, with the investigation of the mysterious blackout that affected the entire world.  While the premiere was more scattered, this one is more focused on Mark and the people closest to him.  Mark’s connection to the flashforwards is the most interesting because, as he says, he’s both betting on the veracity of the visions…while secretly praying they won’t happen.

I’m going to start off with a bit of a nitpick, but I can’t believe that it hasn’t been brought up.  Most people, even the bureaucrat brought in to oversee the Mosaic investigation, are starting to fall in line with the idea that Mark’s vision is what will happen.  Even Demitri, who actually confirms that he will die if the flashforwards come true, starts to come around.

But why has no one, in the show, commented on this simple fact: Mark was still working on the investigations at the moment he was shown.  Which means, simply, that they don’t solve the problem in time.

Which I think is a pretty obvious fact that no one has mentioned.  Despite all the work they’re going to do, including filling up the board, they aren’t going to close the case in the six month window.  And that’s almost certainly what causes Mark’s drinking (in addition to, I assume, Demitri’s murder and his fallen-apart marraige).

I hope, at some point, someone comes out and says that.

The episode’s main focus is on “D. Gibbons” – a name that Mark saw in his vision.  Gibbons turns out to be a harmless cupcake baker who had her credit card cloned, and the investigation leads to Pigeon, Utah, where the cloned card was used.

It all ends up in an abandoned doll factory (another clue), where the mysterious “D. Gibbons” was conducting his own investigation into the blackouts.  And, as we later learned, spoke to the also-mysterious Suspect Zero (the man walking around the baseball stadium) during the blackouts.

Which, as the FBI director points out, means there were two people up and about while everyone else was unconscious.  In other words, it’s looking more likely that someone was behind this – instead of a natural occurence.

Also emphasized in the episode was Mark’s family.  His wife, Olivia, is burdened with the fact that she met the man from her vision – Lloyd, the father of a young boy she’s treating.  Matters are made worse by the fact that Dylan, the son, remembers Olivia from his own vision.  Added to that is the fact that Charlie, Mark and Olivia’s daughter, remembers Dylan from her own flashforward.

It’s a bit complicated, but it seems like everyone knows each other from their visions.  That is, except for Lloyd himself, who doesn’t seem to recognize any of them.  Olivia offers the explanation that he didn’t see her during his vision, but the TV watcher in me wonders if he knows more than he’s indicated.  Not necessarily that he’s involved with Gibbons…but I am concerned that he knows something.

Charlie, herself, finally reveals a bit about her own vision.  She’s obviously troubled by what she saw (her quote that she saw a time when there were “no more good days” was the only glimpse into her flashforward from the premiere).  She is obviously shaken by what she saw, and she indicates that “D. Gibbons is a bad man.”

The fact that his daughter also knows of Gibbons is probably going to increase Mark’s interest in finding him.

As I mentioned, Demetri makes the interesting decision to start investigating his own death.  It is all prompted by the fact that, while in Utah, the two agents met a woman who didn’t have a vision.  Shortly after, she was shot and killed by Gibbons.

Hoping that it doesn’t mean his own non-vision will lead to his own death, he posts an account on the Mosaic board, and he’s called by a woman who informs him that he was murdered in March.

Having a man investigate his own murder is a pretty cool idea, and I’m looking forward to seeing how that turns out.

And that’s basically the episode – which leads to an obvious question that I’m sure you’re asking yourself.  Is the show any good?  If you haven’t seen the first two episodes, should you watch it?

And I’m still torn at this point.  It is certainly an interesting premise, and we’re starting to flesh out the characters a bit.  And just like a puzzle, it will probably be a lot of fun to see all the pieces come together…especially those related to Suspect Zero and the blackouts themselves.

But I can’t say I’ve really reached the point where the show has grabbed me.  I read on another site that the show is too “safe” – and I think that’s true.  It seems like the show is a bit too concerned that people will not like it, and it doesn’t try hard enough to make sure people love it.  So unless you really like the premise (and I’ll admit that I do), I’m not sure it’s going to grab you.

It is, however, designed for the lazy TV viewer, though.  During this episode, there were about a hundred flashbacks from the premiere episode, explaining pieces of the flashforwards, connections between characters, and other odds and ends.

And while part of me thinks it’s kinda cool (the show is giving us our own flashes), I also think it’s going to get annoying after a while.  One glimpse of Lloyd’s face to remind us who he is works.  Five or six is going to irritate me, I think.  I guess we’ll have to see, but that’s my initial thought.

Hopefully that moment where the show will grab me will happen in the next episode.  Or maybe it will happen, as we saw in the season-long promo, when Dominic Monaghan shows up.  Either way, it needs to happen soon, or I’m guessing people will start getting tired of it.